- Hardcover: 432 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins World (Sep 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0060096594
- ISBN-13: 978-0060096595
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.7 x 5.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
424,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #97 in Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Film > Business Issues
- #99 in Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Social Issues > Ethical Issues > Pornography
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Product Description
Product Description
Everyone knows the adult film industry is a multimillion pound business. What most people don't know is how the porn industry got started - with a USD22,000 Mafia investment in a film called Deep Throat - or how it mushroomed over the next quarter-century despite efforts by politicians, the FBI, and others to bring it down. The Other Hollywood tells that story, through hundreds of interviews by the people who lived through it. In the riveting oral-history format that made his first book, Please Kill Me, one of the most memorable accounts of 1970s underground culture, Legs McNeil now pulls back the grimy satin sheets on one of the most astounding success stories in the history of business. Careening back and forth between two groups - the actresses, directors, and others who made the films and the shady underworld figures who financed them - The Other Hollywood offers scores of never-before-told stories.
About the Author
Legs McNeil is the co-author of Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk, a book widely hailed as the definitive work on the subject. H is also a former editor at Spin and editor-in-chief of Nerve. McNeil also wrote Marilyn Chambers's comeback film, Still Insatiable, which was one of the highest-grossing adult films of 1999 - 2000.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
JOHN WATERS (FILMMAKER): There was a theater in Baltimore, where I grew up, called the Rex Theater, that showed all the nudist camp movies-which was what we had before porno. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
JOHN WATERS (FILMMAKER): There was a theater in Baltimore, where I grew up, called the Rex Theater, that showed all the nudist camp movies-which was what we had before porno. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
greed, use and abuse of women and the every day world of porn. The author Legs McNeil has told the entire story of porn from the early talkies to the late 1990's. Nothing is left untold and the stories are told in interview form. At first this format was distracting, but after a while it became very easy to read and all of the characters seemed to flow well with each other. Of note, the book is dedicated to Mr. McNeil's late girlfriend who died an excruciating death from heroin that had been infected with flesh eating bacteria. It took Legs McNeil 7 years to write this book with his co-authors and to find a publisher. He produced a special on Court TV about "The Other Hollywood" and caught the attention of Judith Reagan and procured a book contract. These stories are told straight from the lips of those involved in the world of porn, no moralizing. As Legs McNeil so eloquently states, "This book captures the birth and first few decades of porn. The people spoke, the actors and actresses, cops and mobsters, producers and directors, photographers and writers, hustlers and suitcase pimps, and everyone else in between" That about sums up the entire world.
The book is separated into chapters and each chapter flows into the next one. The chapters are well named and draw your attention, "Don't Count The Money, Weigh It", "Size Matters", "Memphis Backlash Blues", "Deep Cover", "The Godfather of Hollywood", "Think This Will F### Up My 4th of July Weekend", "Pimping and Pandering" and "Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead". The stories run the gamut from the making of "Deep Throat" and the story of Linda Lovelace and her husband. She complained that she was forced to make the movie, but those who were there say differently. A $22,000 venture ultimately made a million dollars, and Linda Lovelace became a household name. The story of John Holmes, a porn star who was probably insane and the people he took down with him. Savannah, the young porn star who tragically committed suicide. Traci Lord, the underage porn star who fooled everyone and then caused a legal entanglement because of her age. Those who knew her say she knew what she was doing and she loved doing it. There are love stories between porn stars and there is much of drugs and alcohol. Most porn stars it seems get by with drugs and alcohol. It is really a dirty business with all involved in it for the money. Fame and fortune are what most stars set out to obtain, but misery and ill health are what many are left with. The saga of HIV in the porn business, and how Sharon Mitchell came to formulate the porn health care side of things. She is one of a few who really care what happens to the people in the business, and she makes it her business to help them.
This is a fascinating book Legs McNeil has put together; the encyclopedia of porn. Everyone and anyone from the kings of Mafia to the celebrities who loved porn are mentioned. There are few stories left untold. The voices of those who were there, and those who are still struggling in the business give credence to the history of porn. Heard a while ago that Columbia House- the place where we used to obtain our records is now partnering with Playboy to produce porn- many legit businesses are buying into porn for the money that is to be had. So, many of our top companies if you dig down deep enough are supported by porn. How did this come to happen? I have been reading and the history is fascinating. What is left out in this book is the emergence of big business behind the scenes in porn. There is much more to learn and much more about the porn business to be unfurled. Legs McNeil has made a fascinating subject more fascinating by the telling of the story. Recommended. prisrob
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I must confess I was quite excited about the prospect of this book - everyone loves to read sordid tales of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, and I am no exception.
I'm in agreement with one of the other reviewers in that the style takes a little getting used to. As this book is composed entirely of (one assumes) verbatim text from interviews, at first it can feel a bit disjointed. However, it has been compiled with genuine attention to the creation of tangible storyline and momentum, and any initial apprehension vanishes a few pages in.
If you like your stories seedy, perverse and sometimes really rather sad, this book is right up your street. Alongside the accounts of utter excess and cringe-worthy sexual practices are genuinely touching anecdotes, and the occasional indisputable tragedy.
As an added bonus, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book is rather a large and cumbersome one, so there's plenty to keep you occupied for some time.
All in all, a very good read - recommended.
I'm in agreement with one of the other reviewers in that the style takes a little getting used to. As this book is composed entirely of (one assumes) verbatim text from interviews, at first it can feel a bit disjointed. However, it has been compiled with genuine attention to the creation of tangible storyline and momentum, and any initial apprehension vanishes a few pages in.
If you like your stories seedy, perverse and sometimes really rather sad, this book is right up your street. Alongside the accounts of utter excess and cringe-worthy sexual practices are genuinely touching anecdotes, and the occasional indisputable tragedy.
As an added bonus, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book is rather a large and cumbersome one, so there's plenty to keep you occupied for some time.
All in all, a very good read - recommended.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
You will be considering buying this book for one of two reasons. (A) Tittilation factor or (B) All the claims of "exploitation" cannot be justified, can they?
If you are falling into (A) you will be very disappointed and probably give up after ten pages.
If (B), then grit your teeth because this is a very hard, and very long look at the porn industry. And it isn't pretty.
The books looks chronologically at the development of adult entertainment, through to tax dodges, drugs busts, suicides and rapes.
All the major events are covered, from deepthroat to debbie does dallas to the rise of HIV and onwards.
I particular, I found the section covering the 90's and noughties pretty hard, where performers knew exactly what they were getting themselves into and believed they could beat the system (incidentally, they didn't).
This will no stop the consumption of pornography, but it may stop the belief that it is a victimless industry.
If you are falling into (A) you will be very disappointed and probably give up after ten pages.
If (B), then grit your teeth because this is a very hard, and very long look at the porn industry. And it isn't pretty.
The books looks chronologically at the development of adult entertainment, through to tax dodges, drugs busts, suicides and rapes.
All the major events are covered, from deepthroat to debbie does dallas to the rise of HIV and onwards.
I particular, I found the section covering the 90's and noughties pretty hard, where performers knew exactly what they were getting themselves into and believed they could beat the system (incidentally, they didn't).
This will no stop the consumption of pornography, but it may stop the belief that it is a victimless industry.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Story told by the people who were there.
I love this book and its interview style. Telling the history of screen porn from the early days of burlesque cinema to todays multi billion dollar industry. Read more
Published 1 month ago by ChainsawKiller
fact
This book gives you basic facts on the pornographic industry, there isn't a lot of hear evidence. It acts as a very good index of directors and films.
Published 3 months ago by Emily
deceived
I bought this book because I read about it in Paris Match and it seemed interesting. I am deceived. It is just a stream of different
people involved in the American porn... Read more
people involved in the American porn... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Zoska
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